CEIRR_Presolicitation_Notice.pdf

PRESOLICITATION NOTICE

NIAID CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR INFLUENZA RESEARCH AND RESPONSE

75N930-19-R-00028

Presolicitation Notice Information

Introduction

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) supports research related to the basic understanding of microbiology and immunology leading to the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and medical diagnostics for the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of infectious and immune-mediated diseases. The NIAID, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases has a requirement for establishing multiple Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response to establish international and domestic basic and clinical influenza research program focused on the study of the natural history, transmission, and pathogenesis of influenza in humans and at interspecies interfaces, including the provision of critical infrastructure for emergency response.

Description

The purpose of this solicitation is to establish the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (hereinafter referred to as “CEIRR”) as an international and domestic basic and clinical influenza research program focused on the study of the natural history, transmission, and pathogenesis of influenza in humans and at interspecies interfaces, including the provision of critical infrastructure for emergency response.

The CEIRR will address knowledge gaps that can advance universal influenza vaccine research and development through longitudinal human studies while continuing to provide the international research infrastructure needed to address zoonotic influenza outbreaks in humans or a pandemic.

To that end, CEIRR will carry out a host of activities, including cohort studies and human and animal sampling to further understanding of influenza infection, transmission and vaccination; identification of immunological factors that determine disease outcome in the response to influenza infection and vaccination; and studies to determine how influenza viruses evolve, adapt and transmit between humans and at interspecies interfaces.

Together, these activities lay the groundwork for the development of new and improved control measures for emerging and reemerging influenza viruses. The program will continue to perform non-human surveillance but will focus these efforts at interspecies interfaces and geographic regions at high-risk for spillover of influenza into humans.

Given the potential for the emergence of a new influenza pandemic, network sites will be required to be prepared to redirect their work to address an urgent public health emergency involving the emergence and rapid spread of influenza in humans, as requested by NIAID.

This will allow NIAID to maintain a network of dedicated influenza labs that could be able to quickly respond to a public health emergency.

In summary, NIAID’s expectations for the CEIRR program include:

• The CEIRR sites will create a multi-disciplinary collaborative network to conduct influenza research to fill knowledge gaps;

• The CEIRR sites will conduct integrated basic and clinical research to advance knowledge of factors that determine influenza emergence and transmission and protection against influenza to accelerate development of new and improved control measures;

• CEIRR investigators will serve as a resource for the scientific and public health communities by providing training, reagents, candidate vaccine viruses, and data; and

• The CEIRR sites will provide a research response in the event of an emergency situation.

It is anticipated that multiple cost reimbursement, completion type contracts will be awarded for a 7-year period of performance beginning on or about 4/1/2021.

NIAID estimates that the average annual total cost (direct and indirect costs combined) is $20M. However, it is anticipated that the total cost for the award(s) may vary depending upon the scope of the project and the technical objectives of the award(s). The length of time for which funding is requested should be consistent with the nature and complexity of the proposed research. In no event shall the period of performance proposed by an offeror exceed 7 years.

Any responsible offeror may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the Agency. This BAA will be available electronically on/about 11/01/2019 and may be accessed through FedBizOpps https://www.fbo.gov/. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.

For this solicitation, the NIAID requires proposals to be submitted via two methods: (1) Disc (CD or DVD) and (2) Online via the NIAID electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) website. The content of the disc and online proposals must be identical.

Submission of proposals by facsimile or e-mail is not acceptable.

For directions on using eCPS, go to the website https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/contract-solicitations and then click on "How to Submit."

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